Labour deputy Angela Rayner 'will do the right thing' and step down if found breaking electoral law

Angela Rayner has said she will “do the right thing and step down” if she is found to have committed a crime as police investigate claims that she may have broken electoral law. But the deputy Labour leader said she was confident she had “followed the rules at all times” after Conservative Party deputy chairman James Daly suggested she may have given false information about her main residence.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) previously said it would not be investigating the allegations, but following a complaint from Mr Daly, the force confirmed it had reassessed information and launched a probe.

In a statement on Friday, Ms Rayner said: “I’ve repeatedly said I would welcome the chance to sit down with the appropriate authorities, including the police and HMRC, to set out the facts and draw a line under this matter. I am completely confident I’ve followed the rules at all times.

“I have always said that integrity and accountability are important in politics. That’s why it’s important that this is urgently looked at, independently and without political interference.

“I make no apologies for having held Conservative ministers to account in the past. Indeed, the public would rightly expect me to do so as a Deputy Leader of the Opposition.

“We have seen the Tory Party use this playbook before – reporting political opponents to the police during election campaigns to distract from their record. I will say as I did before – if I committed a criminal offence, I would of course do the right thing and step down. The British public deserves politicians who know the rules apply to them.

“The questions raised relate to a time before I was an MP and I have set out my family’s circumstances and taken expert tax and legal advice. I look forward to setting out the facts with the relevant authorities at the earliest opportunity.”

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer welcomed the police investigation into Ms Rayner’s council house sale and said he had “full confidence” that she had not broken the rules. His deputy has been under scrutiny regarding whether she properly declared taxes on the 2015 sale of her council house due to confusion over whether it was her main residence.

In a book by former Tory deputy chairman Lord Ashcroft, it alleges that she bought her former council house in Vicarage Road in Stockport, Greater Manchester, with a 25% discount in 2007 under the right-to-buy scheme - which she has denied.

The former carer is said to have made a £48,500 profit when selling the house eight years later. Government guidance says that a tenant can apply to buy their council home through the right-to-buy scheme if it is their “only or main home”.

Her husband was listed at another address in Lowndes Lane, about a mile away, which had also been bought under the right-to-buy scheme. In the same year as her wedding, Ms Rayner is said to have re-registered the births of her two youngest children, giving her address as to where her husband resided.

Ms Rayner has insisted that Vicarage Road was her “principal property” despite her husband living elsewhere at the time. But neighbours have reportedly disputed her claim that she lived apart from her husband.

Sir Keir has defended Ms. Rayner, saying the Conservatives are trying to smear her, and people are more concerned about issues caused by the government.